Musings

Now that we're 10 games into the NFL regular season, I can safely say that the Redskins and Eagles do not deserve playoff births. (That's not to say that they won't get them, but only that they don't deserve them right now.)

The Eagles tied the Bengals which is probably the worst team in the NFL.

The Redskins couldn't beat Dallas at home, on Prime-time TV, a week after being destroyed and humiliated by the Steelers.

Both teams are just flat-out pathetic after sparking early-season interest with huge wins over Pittsburgh (Philly) and Dallas (Redskins).

I'm not about to argue that the Cowboys are "good now" after beating the lowly Redskins. Remember that the 'Skins almost lost to the Lions and unequivocally lost to the Rams. That's like saying the Redskins have a strong 6-4 record against winning teams...you would be lying right through your teeth and laughed out of the nearest sports bar. I could be wrong, but the Cowboys have to beat someone good for me to take them seriously these next few weeks.

And I'm not about to start hyping a team that's starting Donovan McNabb right now. From footballguys.com:

"In a loss to the Giants and a tie against the Bengals, McNabb was intercepted a total of four times and lost a fumble. In those two games, he completed 45 of 94 passes (47.9 percent). His passer rating against the Giants was 80.1. Against the Bengals, it was 50.9 as he went 28 for 58 with three interceptions."

So that leaves us with the New York football Giants and the smug Nick Larocque loving every moment of this potential repeat. Can you say the word, "Dynasty" with the New York Giants? Unfortunately the answer is "yes" this year.

Ask yourself the following questions: 1) who in the NFL can beat the Giants right now? 2) Who could do it in the playoffs?

In their one loss to the Browns, the Giants showed uncharacteristic weakness on the road (the Giants had won 11/12 on the road going into the Browns game), but Eli Manning threw 3 interceptions, and I think it's safe to assume that won't happen in the playoffs. The Giants also gave up 455 yards of offense, which is strange because the Giants have one of the stingiest defenses in the league this year. I think the Browns loss was an anomaly for the Giants, but I could be wrong.

So let's assume the Giants continue winning and secure home field advantage in the playoffs. And then let's assume the Cardinals, Panthers, Packers, Redskins and Cowboys (assuming they turn it around these next few weeks) make the playoffs.

- The Cardinals function as a perpetual house of cards; they almost lost to San Francisco for god-sake.

- The Panthers don't have a solid win over a legitimate team so far (if they beat the Giants in three weeks, I will obviously change my mind)

- The Bears have QB problems (injuries, sub-par play) and receiver problems

- The Packers are extremely inconsistent and inexperienced; odds have it that a rookie QB won't lead his team over the Giants anyway.

- Dallas is soft like putty

- The Redskins can't close games, nor do they have a QB who will remain healthy with their current offensive line; it's only a matter of time before Campbell gets his leg broken with the Redskins' current pass-pro

So that leave us with the Giants until someone can convince me otherwise. In my next post, I will tackle the AFC, but the Steelers have to be healthy for them to even have a shot.